信息来源于:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_systems Complex adaptive systems are special cases of complex systems. They are complex in that they are diverse and made up of multiple interconnected elements (and so a part of network science) and adaptive in that they have the capacity to change and learn from experience. The term complex adaptive systems (CAS) was coined at the interdisciplinary Santa Fe Institute (SFI), by John H. Holland(大名鼎鼎霍兰), Murray Gell-Mann and others.
John H. Holland(http://www.santafe.edu/about/people/profile/John H. Holland)
External Professor, Santa Fe Institute
Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Computer Science/Engineering/Psychology
Bio
John H. Holland is professor of computer science and engineering and professor of psychology at the University of Michigan; he is also external professor and member of the executive committee of the board of trustees at the Santa Fe Institute. Professor Holland was made a MacArthur fellow in 1992 and is a fellow of the World Economic Forum. He serves on the Advisory Board on Complexity at the McDonnell Foundation. Professor Holland has been interested for more than 40 years in what are now called complex adaptive systems (CAS). He formulated genetic algorithms, classifier systems, and the Echo models as tools for studying the dynamics of such systems. His books Hidden Order(隐秩序)(1995) andEmergence(涌现)(1998) summarize many of his thoughts about complex adaptive systems.